Medical Miracles

This exhibition showcases the history and remarkable legacy of Provident Hospital. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, who performed the first open heart surgery in 1893, founded Provident Hospital & Training School on the south side of Chicago in 1891.

For more than a century Provident Hospital survived as a private community facility serving those in need of healthcare. Through two World Wars, race riots and national epidemics, thousands of Chicagoans were treated within its walls.

The exhibit was created by the Provident Foundation and made its debut October 20, 2001at the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago. It is currently housed at Chciago State University under partnership with the foundation

This year, we educated hundreds about Provident Hospital and the seminal achievements of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. We hosted two exhibits of our rare collection of artifacts, and several of our photographs were added to the National Academy of Sciences’ African American History Program biography of Dr. Williams. If you are interested in prints of our photographs or use of our photographs please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Medical Miracles Gallery

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Provident Hospital: Postcards

The Provident Foundation has prepared a series of historical postcards which feature photos from our archive including Dr. Daniel Hale Williams as a young man (1880), Emma Reynolds (1889) and more. Click to view samples.